


A Walk Around the Park

by InfernumEquinomin



Category: Blaseball (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Loss, Multi, Separation Anxiety, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 23:07:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29990208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InfernumEquinomin/pseuds/InfernumEquinomin
Summary: Milo Brown is back, but the rest of the team is falling apart. Percival especially.
Relationships: Percival Wheeler/Don Mitchell, Percival Wheeler/Jaylen Hotdogfingers, Percival Wheeler/Knight Triumphant, Percival Wheeler/Milo Brown, Percival Wheeler/Ortiz Lopez, misc other Lovers Team polycule.
Kudos: 7





	A Walk Around the Park

Milo knew something was wrong when Percy wasn't at breakfast. They didn't tend to miss it, it was one of the few constants and while Milo hadn't been around as much with his cheer squad duties in the Shadows, he had known Percival Wheeler long enough to know her habits. Milo walked through the halls of the Polyhedron and found the bunk that had Percival and Jaylen's names in a little heart on the door. 

He knocked.

"Perce? Hey, you in there?" He called after a moment and then listened closely. He didn't hear anything inside.

"She isn't in there." Don said from behind him and Milo startled and jumped, turning to see him. Don's arms were crossed and brow furrowed as he frowned at the door. "She hasn't stayed in there since Jaylen got moved."

"Oh. Where uh… breakfast?" Milo asked lamely and Don shook his head and shrugged.

"Dunno. She wasn't with me last night, maybe check Ortiz's room." He said and Milo saw the weariness on his face, clear as day. He nodded.

"Hey uh… Is she okay?" Milo asked and Don chuckled bitterly.

"Are any of us?" He asked and turned to walk down the hallway. Milo swallowed and went to go talk to Ortiz.

\--

"Sssssshe isn't here Milo. Sorry." Ortiz said, wringing her hands with worry, her hair writhing with agitation. In the time since Milo saw her last she had cut it into a mohawk. He wasn't sure he wanted to know how that worked, but it looked nice on her.

"Shit. Don said she wasn't with him either. Any ideas?" Milo asked, a bit distracted thinking.

"Maybe with Kni--" Ortiz started and then came up short, hand covering her mouth. Milo nodded.

"Right. I'll ask around." Milo said and Ortiz looked away at the floor.

"Milo, when you find her, tell her I am very irritated at her for making everyone worry." Ortiz said softly and ran a hand back through her hair, it hissing happily.

"Yeah, will do." Milo smiled gently up at her and Ortiz started down the hall the other direction.

"I will call you if I find her firsssst." Ortiz promised and Milo smiled, nodding once. Milo walked then towards Yosh's workshop.

\--

"She was in the stable last night." Yeong Ho said at lunch while Milo took a break. Milo frowned and set his tuna sandwich down.

"The stable?"

"Yeah. It's below my aviary and I was making up Fletcher's rehab space after that allergic reaction. I um, didn't check on her but I don't think she would have wanted to see me regardless." Yeong Ho said, looking away from Milo and frowning. 

"Why not? Percival is super friendly!" Milo said with an awkward laugh and Yeong Ho leveled a baffled look at him.

"Friendly? I'd be lucky to get cordial." They said and Milo mused on that and shook his head.

"I don't… That really isn't like them." Milo said carefully and took a bite.

"So I have been told. Doesn't change the fact that swapping off on the mound basically means I pass an ice wall." Yeong Ho sighed and shook his head.

"I'll mention it to her. If you want?" Milo offered and Yeong Ho shrugged, conflicted.

"Yeah, maybe. Everyone else has been super welcoming, and they haven't been like… Mean? Just cold. Aloof." Yeong Ho said and Milo let out a heavy whoosh of air, looking up at the ceiling.

"That is incredibly weird." He declared and then nodded and took his sandwich with him to check the stable. "I'll talk to her."

\--

Percival was asleep in a pile of hay in her full plate, Wife standing guard over them and whinnying softly when he approached.

"Hey there girl." Milo said gently, patting Wife's nose as he moved around toward Percival in the hay. He leaned down and the smell hit him. "Jesus Percy, did you down a whole distillery?"

"Wha?" Percival looked blearily up at him, and her eyes were red and puffy, her hair sticking in strands to her face, some in her mouth which she pulled away with a grimace and quickly tied back in a tangled, hay strewn ponytail. She sat up and Milo stepped back to give her some room as her armor creaked and groaned.

"I've been looking everywhere for you." Milo said gently and Percival wiped her face with one hand and dug around in the hay with the other. She pulled a bottle to her mouth, popped the cork, and swished something in her mouth before spitting it out and nodding.

"Yeah?" She said simply and Milo narrowed his eyes. Ah. It was gonna be like that.

"Perce, what the fuck is going on here?" Milo asked and he tried to be stern, but mostly just sounded tired, even to himself.

"I needed to be alone." Percival said and stood up, swaying a bit on her feet. Milo threw his hands up to catch her when she swayed towards him but she corrected. She glanced at him and sighed, muttering under her breath. "Why doesn't anyone seem to get that?"

"That's not… That's never how we have done things on the team Perce." Milo said softly and Percival looked over her shoulder at him, and her gaze was steely and hard.

"What team? What kind of  _ team _ are we now?" She asked hard and turned, pointing at him. "My wife is gone, my Knight, my  _ son _ . I am not gonna just pretend that this is  _ my _ team anymore, Milo."

"Perce, how fucking dare you." Milo spat and then slapped a hand over his mouth. Percy looked at him, shocked and angry, and then Milo shook his head. "No, no maybe you need to hear this, you have so many people who love you, and care about you. Distilling the Lovers down to 3 people is insensitive at best, and fucking dismissive of your partners at worst."

"Milo I didn't mean to--" Percival started, looking horrified with themselves already but Milo couldn't hold back anymore, he had spent 8 seasons mourning Paul and Miguel, and now Percival wanted to quit the team just because their partners  _ went to other teams _ ?!

"No, do I not matter to you now just because I haven't played in years? Does Don? Ortiz?  _ Sigmund _ ?" Milo yelled and Percival covered her face with her hands and sobbed, Milo's chest heaving but a terrible regret sitting in him.

"They won't tell me where they are. Morrow couldn't even tell me. I backed Valentine Games into an alley with a sword at his throat and he couldn't tell me. I could say goodbye to NaN, and Jaylen, but Knight… They  _ stole _ them Milo…" Percival sobbed and Milo cracked, lunging forward and pulling the knight into his arms. She was bigger than him, by a good bit, and he couldn't quite get his arms all the way around her in the armor, but he damn well tried. Percival sobbed messily into his hair and he patted her back, holding her tight.

"I'm upset too, Perce. And so is everyone else. We all miss them." Milo soothed them softly and Percival sniffle messily.

"Knight has always… They were always my whole heart Milo. All of them are. I can't… I don't want to watch my family be ripped apart… I can't do that anymore Milo." Percival sobbed and Milo patted hollow thunks against her backplate.

"Then don't stop fighting for them Percy. We need all of us to be together now, more than ever." Milo said and she pulled back and grabbed a handkerchief that Milo saw was monogrammed with a rather fancy YC, ans blew her nose, sinking down to sit back into the hay and hang her head. He crouched down in front of her and lifted her chin to look at him. "You're my heart too Percy, I don't think any of us can do this without you."

"It's hard, I'm sorry." Percival apologized and Milo leaned in, resting their foreheads together.

"We'll get through it together. And I'm sure the Fans won't let Knight stay gone long." Milo said softly and Percival nodded.

"Yeah. It just… Not being in control of my life again… I didn't think it would hit me so hard." Percival confessed and wiped at her eyes. Milo nodded and then snapped his fingers, grinning wide..

"Hey, I have an idea. You ready to come in with me?" He asked and she frowned but nodded once and slowly clambered to her feet.

Milo Brown grabbed her hand and drug her around and into the Polyhedron.

\--

Percival turned her head one way and another, peeking into the mirror, and then smiled the first smile Milo had seen on her face since he came back from the Shadows.

"I like it!" She declared brightly and the door swung in violently behind them, Don and Ortiz both tumbling into Milo"s bathroom.

"Percy!" Don exclaimed loudly and scrambled up to his feet.

"Ssssweetheart!" Ortiz gasped and covered her mouth. Percival laughed and ran a hand back through her now pink and black streaked hair, flipping it to show off the undercut.

"Whaddya think?" She asked and Don sniffled and held a hand to his chest.

"It looks great babe." He said seriously and Percival beamed.

"I love it!" Ortiz said brightly and threw her arms around Percival. Don punched Milo in the arm and smiled down at him.

"Hey, good job. I hadn't seen her crack a smile since Jay left." Don said and Milo smirked.

"They have one more surprise, but you'll see it their next game." Milo smirked and Don raised an eyebrow but grinned widely and nodded.

Percival ate dinner with her team, and breakfast the next day. And two days later Parker asked Milo to help her captain the team until Knight got back.

"It just feels right, you know how to handle the… Softer stuff." Parker said, arms crossed as they watched the team practice and Milo nodded in stunned surprise.

"Sure." He agreed and Parker punched him, maybe a bit too hard, in the arm, before going back to barking out encouragement to their team.

\-- 

Day 5 of Season 13, Percival Wheeler rode onto the field, her sword gleaming in the light, neon pink hair catching the sun, and her cape fluttering in the breeze, the faces of every Lover, past and present, embroidered across the back. 

Paul Barnes.

Don Mitchell.

Helga Burton.

Sigmund Castillo.

Kichiro Guerra.

Fletcher Yamamoto.

Miguel Javier.

Sandford Garner.

Liquid Friend.

Ortiz Lopez.

Bontgomery Mullock.

Milo Brown.

Kannedy Meh.

Theo King.

NaN.

Morrow Doyle.

Helga Moreno.

Alexander Horne.

Yeong Ho Garcia.

Parker Meng.

Jaylen Hotdogfingers.

And at the center of them all, Knight Triumphant.

She grinned wide and blew a kiss to the crowd, flipped off the umpires, and let her pitches fly.


End file.
